Sometimes the journey is far more important than the destination. Sometimes it’s nice to sacrifice the convenience of traveling by car in order to enjoy the feeling of the wind through your hair, the sun beating on your forearms and the blood pumping through your entire body.

A healthy alternative to driving, commuting via cycling has been adopted by many in Tallahassee, however it can be a difficult hobby to keep up with at first if you don’t do it regularly. Which is why it is easier to do with a group that can keep you company while you ride and help you have just a bit more fun.

The Joyride Bicycle Collective offers just that, a way for cycling enthusiasts to come together and enjoy the fun of riding bikes through all of Tallahassee’s natural and homely landscapes. Started in May of 2015 by Contract Liaison and FSU graduate Erica Bea Puckett, Joyride has since grown into a booming community that meets every month for bicycle repair workshops, commuter support breakfasts and group rides.

“Many of our members come to the group without much experience in commuting,” said Puckett. “When they ride with a group, they learn safe ways to navigate the city and how to ride as traffic, giving them more confidence to commute more on their own.”

Puckett had avidly enjoyed cycling to the places she needed to go when she attended FSU in the late 90s—her job, her classes and her friend’s houses weren’t too far for her to get to via bike. However, a big event made it more difficult to keep up this routine.

“After I started my family, I felt that commuting by bike would not be practical, but by the time my second child was a year old, I was eager to find ways for us to start working bike commuting back into our lives,” said Puckett.

“I began exploring family-biking options and learning about ways that I could safely transport myself and my children by bike in Tallahassee. My oldest child, then six years old, also had just learned to ride her bike independently and she asked me if we could get together with other people to ride bikes. That is how the group was formed, initially. We invited friends to join us for bike rides to lunch, parks, out for ice cream, etc. The more we rode around together, the more people asked about how they could ride with us. The group began to grow from 4-5 people getting together to over a hundred members within just a few months. Now, after the first year, we have over 300 members.”

The collective is open to anyone of any skill set or age, ranging from seasoned riders who don’t even own a car, amateurs trying to get into it and even entire families.

“I joined primarily to be included in the children's events such as bike parades and bike safety events,” said birth and postpartum doula LeAnn Lett. “I also had hopes of learning how to help my kids ride without training wheels. I did not do much cycling before joining. Since joining, I have purchased a road bike and taken a class on road safety. This, and the encouragement of the more experienced members of Joyride, has boosted my confidence in bike commuting in town. Seeing other families able to get out and ride with children like this has been inspiring. My kids love it, I love it, and it's great exercise.”

For many, the Joyride Bicycle Collective has been more than just a way to get in shape and save on gas, it has also been a great way to make friends and enjoy all the sights Tally has to offer on the titanium frame of a well constructed bicycle.